Apparatus for forming fabric structures



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NN Mx \v Sept. 10, 1940. A. MARTIN APPARATUS Fon FURMING FABMG STRUCTURES 5 Sheets-Sheet I5 Filed March 8, 1958 Patented Sept. 10, 1940 UNITED STATES APPARATUS FOR FORIWING FABRIC STRUCTURES Archworth Martin, Pittsburgh, Pa.

Application March 8, 1938, Serial N0. 194,609

Claims.

My invention relates to apparatus for making plaster-ground fabric structures which comprise plaster-reinforcing mesh, to the rear side of which is secured a backing sheet or form sheet,

5 the fabric structure being placed upon studding or other framework with the mesh outwardly and plaster or cement then applied against the same in the forming of walls, floors, ceilings, etc.

` For convenience of handling and installation,

it has been common practice to assemble the backing sheet and the reinforcement mesh in unitary relation at the factory. The methods heretofore employed in assembling the backing sheet and the mesh have been somewhat expensive,

l5 owing to the fact that such operation has usually been performed either by the manual insertion of wire clips at various spaced points, to tie the backing sheet to the mesh, or by intermittentlyoperable mechanical means. In the latter case,

the backing sheet and the mesh are periodically advanced past a given point, and at each pause lacing wires or the likev are threaded through the structure, each wire lying partly in front of the Wire mesh and partly behind the paper. Not

only are such operations tedious and expensive, but in many instances holes of objectionable sizey are made in the backing sheet during insertion of the sheet-retaining ortie elements.

One object of my invention is to provide an apparatus whereby reinforcement mesh and backing sheets of any length can be advanced continuously and the sheet automatically attached to the mesh during said advancing movement.

Another object of my invention is to provide an improved means for attaching backing sheets to reinforcement mesh, without tearing or cutting of the sheets to an objectionable degree.

The apparatus of this application is a modification of the apparatus disclosed in my co-pending application Serial No. 188,283, filed February 2, 1938, which is directed to a method of at'- taching backing sheets to reinforcement mesh during continuous traveling movement thereof.

Figure l is a side View of the machine, partly l in section; Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view thereof,

taken on the line II-II of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an enlarged View taken on the line IlI-III of Fig. 2, showing the cutters for cutting certain of the stay wires from which tangs are formed; Fig. 4 is an enlarged View taken on the line IV--IV of Fig. 2 and showing the dies for bending the tangs; Fig. 5 is an enlarged view taken on the line V-V of Fig. l; Fig. 6 is a plan View of the structure of Fig. 5; Fig. '7 is a view taken on the line VII- V11 of Fig, 6; Figs..8 and 9 are enlarged fragmentary views of portions of the apparatus of Fig. i, and showing the preliminary and final bending of the tangs; Fig. l0 is an enlarged view of a portion of the tie feeding apparatus of Fig. l, and Fig. 11 is a plan View thereof. 5 The Wire fabric or mesh to which a backing sheet is to be applied is composed of a suitable number of laterally-spaced strand wires 2, having welded thereto cross` wires or stay Wires 3. The backing sheet is represented by the numeral 10 4 and is drawn from a supply roll 5 in a manner to be hereinafter described. The wire mesh can also be drawn from a supply roll, not shown, or -directly from the machine on which it is fabricated. l

' The mesh and the backing sheet i are advanced 4between a carrier 6 and a tie bar conveyor l, both the carrier and the conveyor being continuously driven in synchronism and exerting a pull on the stay wires 3. The apparatus is driven 20 by a motor 8 which, through a worm gear reducing unit 9, drives a pinion lil that meshes with a gear wheel l l secured to a shaft l2 journalled in the framework of the machine. The gear wheel Il drives a gear wheel I3 which is mounted on'a 25 transverse shaft I4. The shaft that its other end, carries a pinion i5 that meshes with a gear wheel I6. The gear wheel l5 is mounted on a shaft Il' which carries sprockets i8 whose teeth mesh with the links of carrier chains i9. The 30 carrier chains also pass around sprockets 2B that are mounted on a transverse shaft 22. f Gear wheelv i5 meshes with agear wheel 22 that is mounted on a shaft 23. The shaft 23 carries sprockets 24 that mesh with carrier chains 25 35 that also pass around sprockets 25.

As the mesh is advanced by the carrier and conveyor, it is drawn past a cutting and bending station A Where alternate stay wires 3 are cut and the cut ends bent perpendicularly with re- 40 spect to the p-lane of the mesh, to form tangs 21 which are to be projected through the backing sheet 4. The cutting and bending apparatus includes a slide bar 28 that extends crossvvise of the fabric and is moved in vertical guideways 45 formed in the framework of the machine. A cross bar 29 is rigidly mounted on the framework in a position above the movable bar 28. The bars 28 and 29 carry a series of cutting knives or dies 30 and 3l, as shown more clearly in Fig. 50 3, whereby a stay wire is cut at a plurality of points simultaneously upon upward movement of the bar 28. The bars 28 and 29 also carry bending dies 32 and 33 respectively `(Fig. 4). The bar 28 is reciprocated vertically by cams 34 se- 55 cured to a shaft 35 which is mounted in the framework of the machine. The bar 28 at each end carries a roller Sli which is enga-ged by the cams 3d, the bar 23 being yieldably urged downwardly by springs 3l. The shaft 35 carries a bevel gear wheel 38 which meshes with a gear wheel 39 that is mounted on a shaft 40. The shaft 4@ has a bevel gear connection at 4l with the shaft i2.

rllhe bar 2S is reciprocated in timed relation to movement of the carrier and the conveyor, and upon each upward movement thereof a stay wire will be cut at a plurality of points through cooperation of the knives Sil and Si. Simultaneously, the severed ends of a previously-cut wire will be bent into perpendicular relation through movement of the bending dies 3 vtoward the dies 33. As shown in the drawings, only alternate stay wires are thus out and bent. Also, the stays are cut only between alternate pairs of strand wires.

The ba-cking sheet l is drawn past tensioning rollers i3 and beneath a presser roller lf3 which is preferably grooved to permit the tangs 2l to pass the saine. A back-up or supporting roller l5 is idly journalled in the machine frame. As the tangs approach the rollers lill and 45, they are pushed through the sheet 6l and the sheet is pressed flatly against the mesh by the roller 34.

Tie wires it are deposited one-by-one upon the top of the sheet and against the rear sides of each transverse row of tangs 27, by the conveyor l. The chains 25 carry conveyor bars All which are notched or grooved in their outer forward corners at 58, to provide seats thereon for the tie wires t.

The tie wires 46 are severed and suitably deposited upon supporting ways 49 (Fig. l), Where they are advanced into a chute 50 by the frictional drag of a conveyor 5i, the conveyor 5I thereby exerting a constant advancing force on the ties. A gate 52 is slidably supported beneath the chute Sii and is yieldably projected forwardly by a spring 53. The gate 52 has forwardly-projecting fingers or nose portions 54 grooved at their upper sides to receive the foremost tie 46, when it is pressed rearwardly to the position shown in Fig. 10. Normally, however, the gate 52 is in forwardly-projected position as shown in Fig, l. At this last-named position, the fingers 54 support a tie wire in position to be engaged in the recess 48 of a conveyor bar lll. The conveyor bars 4l are magnetized so that the wires will be retained in position on the conveyor when they are moved from the fingers 55d. The bars 4l are slotted at their forward edges, as indicated at 55, in order to permit bending back of the tangs over the tie wires, as shown more clearly in Figs. 5 to 9, and as will be hereinafter described. This slotting of the bars also provides a cam surface 5G (Fig. i0) that engages the nose portions 513 of the gate immediately after the bar has picked up a tie wire,

and forces the gate rearwardly in position to receive another tie wire. the gate, the gate will be projected forwardly by its spring 53 to bring another tie wire in position to be picked up by the succeeding bar 4l.

The spacing of the bars is such that each tie wire will be brought into.` position behind a transverse row of tangs 2l, as shown in Fig. 1. As the mesh and the tie wires .are advanced, the tangs 2l will be bent to the position shown in Fig. 8 by toothed wheels @il that preferably are driven at Very high speed in a direction to bend the tangs backwardly over the tie wires. The wheels are secured to a shaft 6I which carries a pulley that After the bar 47 passes is driven by a belt 62 from a pulley 63 on a shaft 64. The shaft 64 has bevel gear connection at 65 with a shaft 66 which is provided with a pulley driven by a belt 61, which in turn is driven by a pulley 68 that is mounted on the shaft of the motor 8. The forward thrust of the conveyor 'l prevents displacement of the tie bars during this bending operation.

When the partially bent tangs vhavepassed the bending wheels 63, they are brought into engagement with presser wheels lil which have bosses l'i that engage the partially bent tangs to bend them into closely-embracing engagement with the tie bars, as shown in Fig. 9. The wheels l0 are mounted on a shaft 'l2 which is journalled in the framework of the machine and carries a pair of sprocket wheels 73 whose teeth mesh with the chain links 25 of the conveyor l, the rotation of the wheels 'I0 being thereby effected. Bars 'l5 are rigidly mounted in the framework of the machine and support the flights of the carrier t against downward deflection under pressure of the wheels @il and 10.

In order to permit of faster traveling movement of the mesh and the paper and hence increased rate of output, a plurality of sets of tang-forming and bending elements may be provided instead of the single set shown at the station A. Each set of tang-cutting and bending dies would, therefore, operate upon stay wires which were not out and bent by the other dies. This plural arrangement of tang-forming elements is particularly desirable where lightweight wall fabric, with close spacing of the stay wires, is being produced. In producing oor fabric or concrete reinforcement where the wires are quite heavy and spaced much greater distances apart, a single-set of cutting and bending dies will be sufficient.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the mesh vof the operations above referred to are automatically effected. When the assembled paper and mesh leave the machine, they can be cut either into sections or taken up on a roll.

I claim as my invention:

l. Apparatus for attaching a backing sheet to reinforcement mesh, comprising means for shearing portions of the mesh at certain points thereof and bending the sheared portions upwardly to form rows of tang elements which extend transversely of the mesh, means for bringing the mesh into position against one face of a sheet, with the tangs projecting through the sheet, means for moving tie strips against the other face of the sheet, each in proximity to a row of tangs, and means operable to bend the tangs over the tie strips.

2. Apparatus for attaching a .backing sheet to reinforcement mesh, comprising means for bring- `ing a sheet and a tanged mesh into superposed relation, with the tangs projecting through the sheet, a carrier engageable with the mesh to effect Yadvancing movement thereof, a conveyor for l'moving tie .strips into crosswise position against the exposed face of the sheet and against the rear sides of the tangs, and a bending element operable in a direction opposite to the movement of the carrier, for bending the tangs backwardly over the tie strips.

3. Apparatus for attaching a backing sheet to reinforcement mesh, comprising means for bringing a sheet and a tanged mesh into superposed relation, With the tangs projecting through the mesh, a carrier engageable With'the mesh to effect advancing movement thereof, a conveyor for moving tie strips into position against the exposed face of the sheet and against the rear sides of the tangs, a bending element operable in a direction opposite to the movement of the carrier for bending the tangs backwardly over the tie strips, and a second bendingelement movable with the carrier, for clenching the tangs into embracing engagement with the tie strips.

4. Apparatus for attaching a backing sheet to reinforcement mesh, comprising means for imparting advancing movement to the sheet and la tanged mesh, from relatively angular paths to parallel planes, and for simultaneously forcing the tangs through the sheet, means for placing tie strips against the exposed face of the sheet, and means operable in timed relation to said advancing movement, for bending the tangs over the tie strips.

5. Apparatus for attaching a backing sheet to reinforcement mesh, comprising means for imparting advancing movement to the sheet and a tanged mesh, from relatively angular paths to parallel planes, and for simultaneously forcing the tangs through the sheet, means for placing tie strips crosswise against the exposed face of the sheet, and meansl operable in timed relation to said advancing movement, for bending the tangs over the tie strips.

ARCHWORTI-I MARTIN. 

